Darkness Devours Light
by WeaverGoddess
Summary: Set 1 year after Aizen's defeat. Soul Society is rebuilding, new captains are chosen and a new squad is created to sniff out traitors. An old enemy returns, secrets are revealed and loyalties are once again called into question. OC, manga spoilers.


Third Seat Toukaku Hibaki made his way to the Division Five barracks, feeling a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. In spite of the chaos Soul Society found itself mired in after the Aizen Incident, a new captain had at last been chosen for Division Five. Although he would never admit it, he was a little disappointed in being passed over for the position of captain. It had been nearly a year without an appointed leader as Vice-Captain Hinamori was still incapacitated, but Toukaku managed to hold his squad together and keep their spirits up. When his comrades panicked and despaired at the betrayal of their former captain, Toukaku kept a level head and did what he needed to do to keep Division Five from completely falling apart. And he owed it to the fact that he never completely trusted Aizen.

_If only I had reached Bankai..._

Toukaku allowed the thought to cross his mind for a moment before banishing it as he ran his hand through his thick, spiky black hair. Obtaining Bankai before Aizen ran off to Hueco Mundo would have been useless as he had already seen Aizen's Shikai. And Aizen was dead, so there was no point in dwelling on what might have been. Toukaku needed to focus on the task at hand: welcoming Hibari Ueda, Division Five's new captain. His stomach fluttered at the thought of her. Hibari Ueda had been his classmate at Shino Academy 80 years ago. Toukaku developed deep feelings for her but she never seemed interested in being more than friends. He hadn't heard much of her since they became part of the Gotei 13 except that she became Fourth Seat of the 2nd Division and she was rumored to have picked a fight with Division Eleven shortly after graduating (Toukaku doubted it). Now she was his superior.

_How's that for luck?_ He thought. He reached the main door to the Division Five barracks, calmed his nerves and proceeded to prepare his squad for a new beginning.

* * * * * * * *

Captain Hibari Ueda slowly made her way to the Division Five barracks, nervous about meeting the squad whose lives had been turned upside-down by former Captain Aizen. It was not a position she relished but since she and Renji Abarai were the only non-captains who had reached Bankai (Madarame Ikkaku was rumored to have reached Bankai but vehemently denied it) they were assigned to the two squads who most desperately needed leadership, Division Three and Division Five.

"It is my opinion that Ueda Hibari will make an excellent captain of the Gotei 13, and I feel she will bring much needed stability to Division Five," Captan Soifon had written in her letter of recommendation. Those words intimidated Hibari. She had just recently obtained Bankai after eleven years of self-training and had only mastered on of it's three attacks. And although she had been Commander of the Fourth Division of Onmitsukido she felt unprepared to lead a squad of the Gotei 13 on her own. Hibari reached the main door of the barracks and took a deep breath.

_I will do my best._

Slowly she opened the door and the air around her seemed to become solid. Four hundred pairs of eyes studied her, wondering if she was trustworthy or not. Hibari couldn't blame them. One man stepped forward to greet her and she instantly remembered his face.

_Toukaku Hibaki?_

Could it really be the glowering troublemaker who followed her around at Shino Academy? His hair had been much shorter then and his chin now sported a black goatee. 80 years suddenly felt like yesterday. She clearly remembered the last time they spoke, after Aizen selected him for Division Five. Toukaku was disappointed that he couldn't join Division Eleven due to his proficiency in kido.

"At least under Aizen you can be a whole warrior rather than just a barbarian," she'd told him. Toukaku laughed and lingered for a moment as if he wanted to say something. Then he'd put his hand on her shoulder, wished her luck and left. Hibari never saw him again, until now.

* * * * * * *

Toukaku's anxious wait was over. There she stood before him, exactly as he remembered her. Only now her long brown hair was pulled halfway up into two odango secured with metal rings. And she wore a sleeveless Haori over her shihakusho. That brought Toukaku back to reality.

_The entire time we were in Shino Academy I wanted to tell her how I felt about her. But now that she is my captain..._

Toukaku' stomach turned a little sour at the thought. Was a subordinate allowed to express romantic feelings for his captain? He had seen officers date and marry their superiors before, but none of them had ever been captain level. Hibari approached him and he hoped she wouldn't sense his heart pounding beneath his kimono.

"Hibaki-kun!" she said with a warm smile.

"Hiba-er... Ueda-taicho!" Toukaku said as he bowed. He turned to the rest of the squad and introductions were made. Hibari made her way around the room, talking, laughing and comforting those who were reluctant to get to know her.

_She was always so good with people_, he thought. _Maybe this will go over better than I had hoped._

After the furor died down Hibari dismissed her squad for the day, allowing them to rest before a full day of training. She approached Toukaku.

"Come walk with me," she said as she walked out to where the courtyard was.

"Yes taicho."

Hibari laughed. "Why so formal, Hibaki-kun?"

"You're a captain now, Ueda-taicho. I must respect the difference in our power."

"Ah, yes," Hibari said, wistfully. "referring to me as 'taicho' is protocol. But we're old friends, Hibaki-kun. When no one else is around, please call me Hibari. Nice to see you stuck with Division Five after all."

"Yeah, in the end I guess it wasn't so bad. I mean, not being in Division Eleven," Toukaku said.

"Yeah," Hibari said quietly. She could only imagine the hell he had been through. "I admire what you've done for this squad. To be honest, I was surprised you weren't nominated for captain."

"I haven't reached Bankai yet."

"Hisagi hasn't reached Bankai either," Hibari said. "But he's still being considered for the position of Division Nine's captain because of his leadership skills and devotion to his squad. It's good to have Bankai in battle but I think there are more important qualities that determine a good captain."

This statement surprised Toukaku. He turned to Hibari. "You didn't want to be a captain, did you?"

Hibari hesitated. What would he think of her if she told the truth? She studied Toukaku's face. She saw the concern in his eyes that wasn't for himself but for his 200 subordinates and realized she couldn't sugar coat her feelings. "I'd be lying if I said I did. I was only a Fourth Seat before becoming captain. There were many stronger, more capable shinigami than me who should have been chosen, you being one of them. Please don't take this the wrong way, Hibaki-kun. I take my position seriously and will give my all to rebuild this division."

"And I will do whatever you need me to do, Hibari-taicho," Toukaku said. "As will all of the seated officers. You don't have to do this alone, you know. You have help."

"Thank you, Hibaki-kun," Hibari said. She glanced again at the man standing next to her. He had always been so composed and sure of himself, even when he was driving their teachers crazy in school. A mischeivious glimmer appeared in her eyes and she glanced sideways at Toukaku. "I hope you don't give me as much trouble as you gave Ukitake-taicho in class."

"You remember that??"

"The pranks and the sarcasm? How could I possibly forget?" Hibari laughed. "I always wondered what he did to get on your bad side."

"I can't even remember," Toukaku said._ You had a crush on him._

"Well I'll try to stay on your good side then," Hibari said with a smirk.

* * * * * * *

In a far away corner of Hueco Mundo, he lay huddled in what was left of his robe. His body and zanpakuto were both broken but his mind was still sharp, still scheming. It had been a year since Ichigo Kurosaki and Kisuke Urahara cut Aizen down. The Gotei 13 and Ichigo's human friends destroyed the Espada and most of the Arrancar. He was the only shard of Aizen's vision left.

_No matter_, he thought. Of all Aizen's creations, he had been the greatest, the strongest. He barely survived Orihime Inoue's Koten Zanshun and managed to crawl back to Hueco Mundo. The spirit particles he absorbed there had kept him alive ever since. It was only a matter of time before he and his zanpakuto were completely healed.

_Kurosaki, Urahara, Inoue. My blade thirsts for your blood._


End file.
